Sherman man critical after driving off Denison Dam

LAKE TEXOMA - A Sherman man is in critical condition after he went off the road while driving on the Denison Dam. Tuesday, the driver was identified.

OHP troopers said Sherman's Aristedes Sanchez Hernandez was driving south on highway 91 over the Denison Dam Tuesday afternoon when his truck went off the road and slid down the dam.

Around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, emergency responders rushed to the Denison Dam after witnesses reported seeing a truck driving through the guardrail, rolling through the large rocks on the embankment. Denison Assistant Fire Chief Bill Ray was one of the first on the scene.

"The truck was really mashed up and witnesses state that no one had come out and that the vehicle was still intact, so we called for extrication and also rope rescue," he said.

Ray said the driver suffered massive head injuries and was flown to Parkland.

OHP troopers identified the driver as 50-year-old Aristides Sanchez Hernandez of Sherman. Trooper Michael Green investigated the crash and said he didn't see any signs of the driver hitting the brakes.

"There was no braking. Witnesses said there was no brake lights applied at all, it's like he just veered off the road and went through the guard rail," he said.

Green said car crashes are uncommon at the Denison Dam.

"It's a safe area to drive. The guardrails do their job well but there's always a weak spot, it just so happens that he found the one weak spot," he said.

Green said Sanchez Hernandez was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. Sanchez Hernandez is in Parkland listed in critical condition.

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